Practice apparatus for small-arms.



H. B. HOLLIPIELD.

PRACTICE APPARATUS POR SMALL ARMS.

APPLIUATION FILED JAN. 9

Patented A101128, 1914.

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S PATENT FFIC.

PRACTICE APPARATUS FOR SMALL-ARMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

Application filed January 9, 1914. Serial No. 811,215.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, I-Ionnrio B. HOLLI-rinLn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vfashington, in theDistrict of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Practice Apparat-us for Small-Arms, of which the following is aspecification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This application relates to practice apparatus for small arms and itsgeneral object is to eliminate certain objections developed in extensivepractical use of such apparatus.

It is importa-nt to reduce cost while securing devices usable withregular service arms, which differ in construction, and equally adaptedfor convenient use in various kinds of practice, such, for example, as

testing rapidity of manipulation alone, orA

accuracy alone, or both together. Vith repeating pistols now beingsubstituted in the United States service for arms of the revolver type,the devices heretofore furnished are not entirely satisfactory in thespeed of the marking point, especially when the target is at or near thelimit of distance to which the marker can be projected from the muzzle.The target heretofore used also falls short of perfect convenience andadaptability for various kinds of practice. My devices while especiallyvaluable for use with such pistols, is also adapted for use with othersmall arms.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a partial, sectional,elevation of a pistol provided with my improved devices, the targetbeing shown in edge view in front of the weapon. Fig. 2 is an axialhorizontal section of a tube seen also in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section onthe line 3 8, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing amodified construction of the same devices. Fig. 5 is a front view of astrip target and its holder. Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6, Fig.5.

In these views, A represents a repeating pistol having a barrel A and aring pin B which, except at the instant of impact in firing, is never incontact with the cartridge. The latter is held in the usual chamber inthe barrel, with its rear end in contact with any suitable block C. Thefiring pin is normally held retracted by a light spring D which yieldsunder the momentum imparted to the heavy pin by the impact of the usualhammer E. The pistol itself, necessarily here shown in part, has nonovelty whatever, but is a weapon now in common use.

My apparatus includes a tube F inserted in the barrel of the pistol fromthe muzzle end thereof and preferably projecting to some distance fromthe muzzle while extending oppositely to the rear end of the cartridgechamber. In the axis of this tube a rod F is slidingly mounted inbearings Gr, H fixed to the tube and itself fixed at its rear end to asliding bearing block I which fits the interior of the tube and keepsthis portion of the rod in the tubes axis. A milled block Jl providedwith a marking point J is screwed upon the forward end of the rod inposition to abut at its rear end the bearing block G. Between the blocksI-I and I is a light helical spring K normally urging the block J towardvthe block Gr. At its rear end the rod, or the block I fixed thereto,bears a projection L which extends rearwardly into the iiring pinchannel in the block B to meet the end of the firing pin with which itis yieldingly held in contact by the spring K, when the parts areproperly adjusted. From this arrangement, normally maintaining actualcontact of the firing pin and rod, it follows that when the hammerstrikes the firing pin, practically its entire force is exerted incompressing the spring- K and throwing the marking point forward withhigh velocity, nothing being lost by impact with the rod or itsprojection L. The gain is large, since the rod and parts which movetherewith are, and must necessarily be, heavy in order to give themomentum necessary for carrying the marker far beyond the point to whichit is positively pushed by the advancing firing pin. Obviously, inertiaincreases rapidly with the weight, and is in this case sucient toneutralize a large part of the blow, were a blow given by the firingpin. In addition to this highly important gain, there being no impact ofthe firing pin, there is no necessity for providing and renewing tromtime to time a hardened steel member to receive such impact, as setforth in existing patents pertaining to this art. Moreover, thisconstruction obviates unequal wear ot the meeting surfaces et the tiringpin and rod and insures perfect alinement and an impulse that is alwaysexactly axial.

The bearings G, il are provided with conical recesses about the rod sothat while they have a long rigid bearing in the tube, the area oitcontact with the rod is very small, and while the rod is held in perfectalinement the friction is slight, even when the rod has been laterallybent so as to give it, permanently, normal detlection. fr `further gaintrom thisv construction is found in the tact that when the rod isremoved tor any purpose it may be instantly reinserted, the conesguiding its end and thus eliminating a very serious annoyance.

lt is `tound that tubes exactly litting the bore of one service pistolcannot be inserted in a second supposed to be ot the same bore and willnot be :trictionally held in a third because too small therefor. loobviate this ditliculty, the tube is slotted or slit for a shortdistance on each side, as shown at N, between small apertures h". lt'the tube be small enough tor use in the bore et least diameter, theslots may be wedged open to give the tube permanent set and increaseddiameter at this point, so that the yielding enlargement adapts the tubeto lit properly in the larger bore. rlhe apertures at the ends ot theslot prevent splitting` the tube in expanding it. The rear end portionot the tube is preferably provided with a slight angular orcircumferential groove at O to be yieldingly engaged by the usualshellextracting noch O with which all these arms are provided and underwhich the tube is forced in putting it in place. rthis gives,independent ot thought or care, a turther security against accidentalslipping of the tube after it is in place in the bore.

Instead et the lined block H, l sometimes use a bearing ll, Fig. Zl,tree trom both tube and rod and so placed as to support the rodlaterally at its middle or elsewhere. ln this case, springs P, P areused in both front and rear ot the bloclr, and the bearing is diminishedcentrally, as shown, so that it touches the tube only along annularsurfaces at its ends and thus has slight trictional resistance tomovement. Evidently the combined length or' the springs may besubstantially equal to the entire distance betu'fecn the terminalbearings, thus increasing the excursion or projecting distance ot themarker. lt is obvious that l am not necessarily limited to one movablecentral bloclr and two springs.

neonata l use a strip target Q which bears in succession targ ts Q',Q32, etc., successively increasing in size to correspond with theapparent size oi" actual service targets placed at the diil'erentdistances usually selected for practice, so that in accordance with thecustom in the field, the marlr'sman may tire a given number oit times ata distant target in miniatiiire and may then slide the target strip tobring a larger target into place. in using strip targets, it is :foundthat grooves or lingers which have commonly been used to hold and guidethe strip soon tail to hold it with proper security, and l therefore)rovide a rubber blocll; 3; havin@ b strip receiving passage R2extending through it from edge to edge, the block being cut awaycentrally as shown at lt t0 expose so much et the strip as must necessarily be visible, leaving` the parts above and below the exposedportion concealed by portions S et the block. This gives all desirablesecurity, allows the strip to be pulled along in either direction, andadds nothing which can injure the marking point. By way ot example, mydevices have been shown and described as used with a repeating pistol,but obviously they are not restricted to use with that particular termot small arms, but are adapted tor use with various classes et weaponshaving greatly ditl'ering length of barrel as well as other markedditlerences.

wWhat l claim is:

l. ln apparatus of the class described, the combination with a firearmhaving a tiring pin movable rearwardly to some distance troni thecartridge chamber, et a marking rod located in the bore ot the arm,bearing a marking point at its forward end and extending rearwardly intocontact with the forward end ot the tiring pin, and a spring normallymaintaining such contact.

2. rthe combination with a firearm having in the rear ot its cartridgechamber a block provided with a tiring pin passage alining with the boreot the arm, ot' a tiring pin normally held in said passage at somedistance from said chamber, a marking rod located in said bore andnormally extending rearwardly into said passage and into contact withsaid tiring pin, and a spring normally maintaining such contact andyieldingly resisting the Ytorward movement et the rod.

3. lhc combination with a iirearm having alongside the rear portion etits bore a cartriuge-extraeting spring hoolr, et a marie ing rod tube,adapted to be inserted in said bore and pressed rearward alongside saidhook, and provided near its 1ear end with an external circumferentialgroove in position to be engaged by said hook.

Ll. The combination with a marking rod tube adapted to be inserted inthe bore of a ing from the block last mentioned to the firearm, of acentrally perforated block other blocks, respectively. l0 fixed in thetube near its forward end, a In testimon whereof I affix my signaturemarking rod sliding in the perforation in in presence o two Witnesses.

" said block, a guiding block sliding in the HORATIO B. HOLLIFIELD.

tube near its rear end and iiXed to the rod, Witnesses: a similarlyperforated central block free J AMES L. CRAWFORD, from both rod andtube, and springs eXtend- ROBERT CRAIG GREENE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

